Sodexo Foundation Recognizes Eight 'Heroes of Everyday Life' for Efforts to Fight Hunger in America

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sodexo Foundation, the anti-hunger charitable arm of Sodexo, Inc., named eight Sodexo employees as "Heroes of Everyday Life" for their exemplary efforts fighting hunger in America. The employees will be honored at the foundation's annual dinner on June 10 in Washington, D.C.

"The concept of economic recovery is very theoretical for the one in eight Americans who are facing the very real prospect of going to bed without knowing where their next meal is coming from," said Stephen J. Brady, president of the Sodexo Foundation. "We honor these Sodexo employees who are giving so much of their time, their talent and from their own pockets to offer real solutions to help people for whom hunger is a real, daily concern."

The 2010 Heroes of Everyday Life are:

• Paul Belski, General Manager at Endicott College, Beverly, Mass. for organizing two canned food drives annually that have collected more than 2,000 pounds of canned goods and approximately $1,500 for needy local families and for repacking enough surplus food for 39 meals, every day for the last five years

• James Brown, General Manager at Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, Fla. who, along with his wife, have dedicated more than 850 hours to help the less fortunate in their community by donating, preparing, transporting and delivering enough food for nearly 6,000 meals.

• Dale Draper, Housekeeper at Clarian Arnett Health, Lafayette, Ind. for opening a food pantry through his church ministry that has provided more than 18,200 families with fresh and non-perishable food each weekend.

• Thomas Jackson, Chef at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah has spent more than 17 years helping at-risk youth and others in need of food, clothing and toiletries.  

• Anne McDevitt, General Manager at Kroontje Healthcare Center, Blacksburg, Va. for a lifetime fighting hunger starting at age six, including leading efforts to collect over 9,000 pounds of food, helping serve more than 13,000 hot meals, providing nutrition advice and helping raise $15,000 for the local food bank.

• Patricia Medley, Kitchen Manager at Salem-Keizer School District, Salem, Ore. for 12 years volunteering every month organizing chapel services and meal service for more than 40,000 meals.

• Theresa Morris, Catering Supervisor at University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky. who has, for nearly 20 years, helped rescue 24,000 pounds of surplus food, providing tens of thousands of meals for those at risk of hunger.

• Dennis Shepherd, Driver at USMC East Coast Camp Lejeune, Camp Lejeune, N.C. for collecting and delivering about 18,000 pounds of food as well as in-kind and monetary donations valued at $20,000 for children and families in need.

Sodexo in North America

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Daily Life Solutions company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On Site Service Solutions in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Motivation Solutions such as Esteem Pass. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $12 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.  

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions

Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations.  Based on this conviction, Sodexo is the strategic partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo's 380,000 employees, in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled range of On-site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates and to the fulfillment of its employees.

SOURCE Sodexo Foundation